Grating and method of making the same



March 2, 1948. T, CO| |N5 l 2,437,186

GRATING AND METHOD OF MAKING THE SAME Filed May 27, 1944 2 Sheets-Sheet2 l lwwzmf': l

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GRATING AND METHOD OF MAKING THE SAME Tappan Collins, Pittsburgh, Pa.,assignorto Carnegie-llllnois Steel Corporation, a corporation of NewJersey Application May 27, 1944, SeriallNo. 537,668

6 Claims. (Cl. 18S-82) This invention relates to improvements ingratings of the character employed in bridge floors, over area-ways andthe like, and to the method of making the same.

It is a prime object of my invention to provide a simplified method ofassembling and connecting a plurality of intersecting grating members toform an integral structure.

A further object is to provide a grating which is fully weldedthroughout.

Additional objects and advantages will become apparent from thefollowing description taken in connection with the accompanying drawingswherein:

Fig. 1 is an exploded perspective view showing the members of myimproved grating prior to assembly;

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the completed grating of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary plan view of two grat- Y ing members assembledbefore welding;

Fig. 4 is a sectional view on the line IV-IV of Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is a. view like Fig. 4 showing the welding operation;

Fig. 6 is a sectional view on the line VI--VI of Fig. 5, showing thefinished welded connection between the two grating members;

Fig. 7 is a perspective view of a modified form of grating constructedin accordance with my invention;

Fig. 8 is a view like Fig. 4, showing onegrating member passing througha second grating member before welding;

Fig. 9 is a sectional view on the line IX-IX of Fig. 8, illustrating themanner of welding the said grating members; and

Fig. 10 is a fragmentary perspective view of a modified form of gratingmember. D

Referring to ,the drawings, the grating of Figs. 1 and 2 comprises aseries of parallel primary members I and a series of parallel secondarymembers 2, the said series being arranged at right angles to each other,with the secondary members entered within the upper edges or faces ofthe primary members. Fig. shows a modified form of grating structureembodying my invenallel to the secondary members 2. As before, the

secondary members are entered in the upper edges of the primary members.The tertiary 2 members 3 are entered within the upper edges of thesecondary members 2, and the fourth series of members Il are enteredwithin the upper edges of both the primary and tertiary members. In bothtypes of grating structures, the members define rectangular openings,and preferably have the upper edges of all of said members disposed inthe same plane.

My invention contemplates 'a uniform type of connection which may beemployed throughout for welding the respective grating memberstogether.v As illustrative of this type of connection, Figs. 3 through 6show the primary member I provided with a cuneiform recess transverselythrough said member and extending downwardly from the upper face or edgethereof, the taper of said recess converging downwardly and terminatingin a rounded bottom or terminal. The secondary member 2 is formed withat least a portion thereof having a transverse section complemental toand fitting the recess 5, except that the vertical depth or width ofsaid portions of the member 2 is slightly greater than the correspondingdepth of the recess 5, so that the member 2| extends slightly above themember I, as indicated at 5, when the secondary member is entered in thesaid recess.

With the members positioned as in Fig. 4, they are placed between theelectrodes 1 and 8 of a flash welding apparatus, having pressure headsor members 9 and I0 respectively, disposed above and below the assembledmembers I and 2. By this means, the members I and 2 are flash weldedunder pressure, whereby the contacting areas of members I and 2 arefirst heated to welding temperature and then the member 2 is lowered tobring the upper edge or face thereof level with that of the primarymember I. The action obtained by the combined heating and displacement,together with the cuneiform disposition of the Contact areas between thegrating members, results in the production of substantially full areawelds throughout said areas with thc addition of a slight extrusion ofmetal at the angles formed by said structural members, formingfillet-like strengthening portions as indicated at II in the drawings.

Where design and loading require, the grating may employ additionalstrengthening members I2 as shown in Fig. 7, the said members extendingtransversely of and through the primary members I. For this purpose, Iform cuneiform recesses I3 in members I at the proper in tervals, thesaid recesses preferably being located below the neutral axes of saidmembers. Members I2 are formed of a complemental cuneiform section butslightly less in depth than recesses I3 to permit initial threading ofsaid members in the aligned recesses. When assembled as in Fig. 8, themembers I2 and I are flash welded under pressure as before, the upperelectrode and pressure head l, 9 straddling the upper portion of memberI as indicated in Fig. 9. The same type oi connection as shown in Figs.3 through 6 is thereby produced, with substantially full area welds andstrengthening iillet-like extrusions II.

AInstead of employing grating members which are cuneiform in sectionthroughout, thosemembers to be entered within the edges of other membersmay be of rectangular section and formed with individal cuneiformportions I4, as shown in Fig. 10, a secondary member 2 being illustratedby way of example.

My improved grating may be formed of steel or otherelectrically-conductive metal, and` by preforming the plural series ofmembers with l complemental cuneiform cross sections and receivingrecesses, the said series of members may be readily assembled and iiashwelded in the manner described, with economical labor and.

construction costs.

The cuneiform preformed recesses and complemental sections oi thegrating members received therein enable the transmission of the weldingheat and pressure throughout the contact areas of the joint withsufficient uniformity to obtain substantially full area welds, thus iniwhat, the same is limited in a manner commensurate with the section ofthe grating members. In other words, it is preferable to have the depthor vertical` dimension of the smallest members not less than twice thewidth or horizontal dimension of said members at the top edge or facethereof, and the resulting taper included between the sides of thecuneiform portion, preferably slightly rounded at`the lower edge orterminal, therefore will not exceed such relation. I

Various changes and modications are contemplated within the scope of thefollowing claims.

I claim:

1. The herein described method of making a grating of the characterdescribed, consisting in forming one series of electrically-conductive.members with cuneiform receiving recesses and a second series ofelectrically-conductive members with complemental cuneiform portionstting said recesses when the said series are assembled in intersectingrelation, and ash welding the members together at said cuneiformportions under suiiicient pressure to displace llet-like portionsoutwardly of said members in the angles therebetween.

2. The herein described method of making agrating of the characterdescribed, consisting in forming one series of electrically-conductivemembers with cuneiform receiving recesses having their taper converginginwardly from -an outer edge of said members, forming a second series ofelectrically-conductive members with complemental cuneiform portionstting said recesses, initially assembling the said series of members inintersecting relation with the cuneiform portions and recesses engaged,and then ash welding the members together at said engaged portions undersuilcient pressure to displace niiet-like portions outwardly of saidmembers in-the anglestherebetween, the cuneiform portions having a depthin the direction of their taper at least twice their maximum widthtransversely of said taper.

3. The herein described method of making a grating of the characterdescribed. consisting in forming one series of electrically-conductivemembers with cuneiform receiving recesses having their taper converginginwardly from an outer edge of said members, forming a second series ofelectrically-conductive members of cuneiform section substantiallythroughout complemental to and iitting said recesses, initiallyassembling the 4. The herein described method of making a grating of thecharacter described, consisting in forming one series ofelectrically-conductive members with cuneiform receiving recesses havingytheir taper converging inwardly from an outer edge of saidelectrically-conductive members, forming a second series ofelectrically-conductive members of' cuneiform section substantiallythroughout complemental Ito and tting said recesses, initiallyassembling the series of members in intersecting relation by entrance ofthe second series in the recesses of the rst series, and then flashwelding the members togethel at their points of intersection undersufcient pressure intersecting relation. the second series' of membersbeing entered within the upper edges of the rst series ofmemberssubstantially iiush with said edges and being of cuneiformsection substantially throughout with the taper thereof converginginwardly from said edges, the intersecting portions of said membersbeing characterized by substantially full area welds and filletlikeextruded portions at the angles between the said members, the secondseries of members having a depth in the direction of their taper atleast twice that of their maximum width transversely of said taper.

6. A grating of the character described, including at least two seriesof members connected in intersectingcrelation, the second series ofmembers having portions of cuneiform section entered within the edges ofthe rst series of members substantially ush with said edges, the saidportions having `ataper converging inwardly from said edges, theconnections between said portions and the rst series of members beingcharacterized by substantially full area welds and llet-like extrudedportions at the' angles Vbetween the said UNITED STATES PATENTS members,the said cuneiform portions having a. Number Nme- Date depth in thedirection of their taper at least twice 1,133,305 Lachman MB1. 30, 1915the maximum width thereof transversely of said 5 1,636,592 CuShWa July19, 1927 taper. 1,972,113 Schulz Sept. 11, 1934 TAPPAN COLLINS.2,319,468 Nagin et al. May 18, 1943 REFERENCES CITED The followingreferences are of record in the 10 le of this patent:

